Hunting Orc
by Mrs. King Aragorn
Summary: When Faramir and Aragorn are captured by Orcs, it is up to Legolas to rescue them. But with Faramir injured, it proves to be harder than the elf thought. NO SLASH CHAPTER 13 REVISED! So, if you were as annoyed with Elrond treating Aragorn before Faramir, then there you go! :)
1. Danger

Aragorn had been waiting for this day for a long time. The day when he and his two best friends, Legolas, would go on a hunting trip together. He was planning on being away for at least a week. All the stress of being king over Gondor had finally gotten to him, and he needed a vacation. He had ready. He had packed his saddlebag full of food and water, and was dressed in his old ranger's gear with his bow, quiver, sword, and the small hunting knife Galadriel had given him snapped securely in his sheath.

He left his room and strode quickly down the hallway towards the door. He wanted to get out as soon as he could andmeet up with his friends at the edge of the forest. He picked his pace up to a jog and made it out to the stables in amatter of minutes. He nodded to the guards as he passed, and they bowed. Sliding the latch on his horse's stall, heled him out into the aisle. "A, Brego." He greeted his companion in elvish. He strapped the saddle on and attached the saddlebag. He placed his sword underneath the saddle in the special sheath the elven smiths had attached to the saddle blanket. He left his bow and quiver on his back. He quickly adjusted the bridle on his dark brown horse and mounted. As he trotted out of the stable, one of the guards waved reverently, and the other called to him.

"The Lord Elrond says he will be here when you return in one week."

Aragorn nodded in acknowledgement and made his way to the edge of the forest near Minas Tirith. When he made it to the forest, he saw that Legolas was already there waiting for him.

"Legolas!" He called.

"Aragorn! I am glad to see that you are finally here." Legolas nudged his milky white horse forward to greet him. "Where is Faramir?" Aragorn asked.

"Late, as usual." The elf responded. His blue eyes shone in the early morning sunlight and his long, blond hair was neatly arranged hanging over his shoulders and falling down his back. He, too, was wearing the same clothes he had worn when they were a part of the Fellowship of the Ring.

Suddenly hoof beats sounded across the land, and they looked up. Faramir was coming at them at a dead gallop. Aragorn squinted to see what the problem was, but Legolas told him before he could figure it out.

"There is someone else with him." Aragorn could just make out another rider on the horizon. The rider was a woman with wavy, blond hair and was sitting atop a beautiful chestnut mare. As the pair approached, it was clear that Faramir was the faster. He made it to the two men first. He reined in his horse just in front of Aragorn and pushed a piece of auburn hair out of his sparkling blue eyes. The woman reached them next and Aragorn realized it was Éowyn, Faramir's sweetheart. Aragorn gave Faramir a pointed glare. It's not that he disliked Éowyn, it was just that this was just supposed to be the three of them.

"All right, Éowyn." Faramir said, turning to face her. "I won."

"That's not fair." She said with a laugh. "You cheated."

"I did not!" He said indignantly.

She laughed loudly and gave him a playful punch in the arm. "Be careful, Faramir." She leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek, then turned and cantered off back to Minas Tirith still laughing. Legolas gave him a questioning look.

"She insisted we race, even though I told her I always win." He patted his horse's sweaty neck and smiled smugly. Legolas rolled his eyes and kicked his horse into a soft walk towards the woods. Aragorn and Faramir fell into line side by side with him. "So," Faramir said, turning to Aragorn. "You told me we were going hunting, but you never told me what we're hunting."

Legolas and Aragorn exchanged a glance, then Aragorn smiled at Faramir. "Orc."

"Orc?" Faramir gave a confused laugh. "I thought we killed them all."

"Not all of them." Legolas said. "Lady Galadriel sent word saying they have been picking up Orc trails near Loríen recently. She wanted us to help them with it." He looked at Aragorn. "We do have a ranger with us."

"Why can't they do it?" Faramir asked realistically.

"Well…" Legolas hesitated. "After Helms Deep…there's not many left to do the job." He looked away.

"Oh." Faramir said.

They both knew the death toll of the Lothlorien elves at the Battle of Helms Deep hit Legolas hard, so most of the time they tried to avoid the subject. The woods were alive with larks singing in the trees and animals skittering out-of-the-way of the three slow-moving horses. Shrubs and trees lined the small path through the forest, and they often had to get off the path because it was so overgrown, there were other places that they could get through easier. They walked until sunset, then decided to set up camp near a clump of close-growing trees. They laid their cloaks down on the ground to sleep on and arranged blankets on each one. Faramir went to find wood for a fire and Legolas sat down on the thick, green grass and stared up at the enormous trees.

"It is good to finally be out in the woods again." Legolas sighed. He ran his fingertips over the rough bark of a tree and stood. He strode quietly over to Aragorn, who was giving Brego a juicy, red apple. He patted his own horse on the neck and said to Aragorn, "Don't you enjoy being in the forest again, Estel?"

"Yes, I do. It reminds me of my days as a Ranger." He wandered away from the horses and stood in the middle of their small campsite.

"Something is bothering, you, Aragorn. What is it?" Legolas said gently, standing beside him.

"It is nothing, Legolas." He turned to face the elf. "A mere worry." Legolas opened his mouth to speak, but at that moment the unmistakable sound of Boromir's horn sliced through the warm air. Aragorn heart stopped, remembering what had happened to Boromir when he blew that horn almost two years ago. Faramir had pieced the two halves together and added it to his collection of armor and weapons. A seed of dread was planted inside of Aragorn's heart as he heard the horn blare again, and Legolas muttered his thoughts. "Faramir, he is in trouble." Aragorn started towards his horse, but a loud, crashing sound spooked him. All three of the horses ripped their reins out of the neat knots the men had tied and ran off into the forbidding woods.

"Brego!" Aragorn shouted, trying to get his horse back.

"We have to get to Faramir." Legolas said, snapping back the Ranger's attention. He gave a quick nod and they both ran at full speed in the direction the young steward had gone. The terrifying sounds of the horn echoed through the silent, dark woods, making the two only run faster. Suddenly it stopped and a thud resounded through the dark. They didn't slow their pace. They suddenly came to a small clearing, the edges thick with trees and shrubbery, but the middle was completely clear. They stopped before walking any closer and examined their surroundings. Anything could be lurking in the darkness around them, and whatever it was had attacked Faramir. "Aragorn." He followed the elf's gaze and saw a figure lying the middle of the clearing, Faramir's horn right beside it and his sword on the other side. Legolas took a cautious step forward, and Aragorn took another.

"Watch my back." Aragorn said, silently drawing his sword. He crept out into the clearing and glanced over his shoulder to see Legolas with an arrow strung in his bow, ready for anything. As Aragorn got closer, he realized the man lying before him was not dead, barely breathing. With another step forward, Aragorn's breath caught and he rushed forward towards the injured figure. _No, don't let it be him. Do not let it be Faramir._ He almost burst into tears when he turned the lump over on its back and recognized the cold, pale face. _No. It can't be._ He quickly checked the fallen steward's pulse and found that it beat irregularly and faintly. A gash ran from his temple all the way down to his chin and curved cruelly up and around his lips. His left arm was bruised and laying at an odd angle, and the worst injury was the arrow sticking out of his chest.

"Legolas!" Aragorn called, not caring about the danger in shouting aloud. _No, I already lost Boromir, not him. Please, Eru, not Faramir._ When Legolas joined Aragorn by Faramir's side, the Ranger was desperately trying to choke back tears.

"He is almost dead."

Legolas looked solemn and disbelieving. The moonlight glanced off his shiny blue eyes and showed sadness and fear. "We need to get him back to Minas Tirith."

Aragorn nodded and started to lift the man from the ground when a crunch made him jerk his head up and set Faramir back down. "What was that?"

"Na dno ednas." Legolas said quietly. He pulled his bowstring back and aimed it in the direction the sound had come from. A sudden flash of moonlight reflecting off metal sent the arrow flying, and they could both here it hit something. They waited for a few seconds, then an Orc with an arrow sticking out of its chest fell face forward out of the woods.


	2. Captured

Orcs rushed from the forest, every one wielding a deadly sword, axe, or bow. Their footsteps sounded like millions of oliphaunts stampeding towards the pair's destruction. Legolas immediately sunk another arrow into the closest Orc and, quicker than Aragorn's eyes could follow had another arrow loaded and flying through the cool, night air. Aragorn grasped his sword tighter and charged forward into the pack of Orcs. He decapitated the first Orc, and ducked just as another one of his elf friend's arrows stuck in one of their enemies. Suddenly he felt a cold, rough hand yank his shoulder backwards. He fell to his back and looked up to see a huge Orc towering over him. He quickly kicked the Orc's legs out from underneath him and thrust his sword deep into the black heart of the creature. Pulling his sword out, he swung it backwards and knocked an arm right off the Orc behind him. He finished it off by separating its head from its shoulders.

He whirled around to see Legolas with an empty quiver and a shining, white knife in each hand. There are too many. We will never kill them all. His eyes flew to where Faramir lay, still unconscious. He watched as Legolas stabbed an Orc through the stomach and threw his other knife into the forehead of another. He certainly is skilled in fighting with just his knives. Aragorn thought. The elf's blond hair swirled in the moonlight, and his feet were dancing across the soft, green grass.

Aragorn rushed over to join the elf still defending their unconscious friend. They kept fighting, but more and more Orcs came flooding out of the woods, stomping on their fallen comrades' bodies and pushing down others that stood in their way. Aragorn engaged in combat with one of the bigger Orcs, stabbing at his middle, then parrying the return blow to his neck. Suddenly, before he knew what was happening, another Orc came up behind him and took a swing at his left leg. Aragorn quickly jumped over the black blade and turned to cut its head off when the Orc in front of him sliced at his neck. Barely ducking the blow, he managed to kill the second Orc and concentrate on the first. It parried his stab and knocked him a few feet backwards. He caught himself before he could fall and ran the Orc through with his sword. But, before he could pull it out, a smaller Orc tackled him. It held him to the ground with its foot on the Ranger's neck and was about to level the deathly blow when Aragorn pulled his hunting knife from its sheathe on his back and jammed it as hard as he could in the Orc's leg. It howled in pain and dropped its sword right into Aragorn's hand. The Ranger quickly killed the Orc and turned back to Legolas and found that he was far away, battling a single Orc. The young elf prince impaled the beast and turned to Aragorn and shouted something he couldn't understand. But, before he could make a move, Orcs had surrounded him and had weapons pointed at his head. He stole a glance at Legolas to see him standing stock-still, unsure of what to do. Aragorn sidestepped in front of Faramir, but before he could pull out his bow, it was cut from his back along with his sheathe by an Orc behind him. He stood still; knowing one move could mean his demise.

"Well, it looks like dinner likes to fight back." One of his captors growled.

"Shut up! You know we can't eat them. We have orders. And orders are orders." Came another voice.

One of the Orcs kicked Faramir and said, "He's 'bout dead. Maybe we should leave 'im."

Aragorn was about to jump to his friend's rescue when one of the Orcs put its grimy dagger to the steward's neck.

"If you move, he'll never move again."

Aragorn couldn't argue with the filthy Orc, so he simply stood still, saying nothing.

"Come on, let's get 'em and go. We don't have enough time to lounge around." Snapped the second Orc. With much grumbling the savage captors ordered Aragorn to carry Faramir for them. Aragorn was thankful for their stupidity. Whenever he had the chance, he would bolt for the woods with the injured man. He cast a worried glance at Legolas. If he lives long enough for us to get away. He thought. He noticed that Legolas hasn't been seen, and the elf is crouching low to the ground. Aragorn gives him a look that says to go find help, but the elf doesn't move. He jerks his head towards the woods and Minas Tirith, but still the elf ignores it and starts to creep forward, knife in hand.

_Argh! He can't come any closer, or they'll see him and capture him as well!_ Aragorn thinks. When the Orcs aren't looking he quickly points to the arrow sticking out of Faramir and jerks his head in the direction of Minas Tirith. The elf stops and seems to understand. Slowly, but reluctantly, he crawls back to the edge of the forest and stops. Aragorn gives him a threatening scowl, and the elf disappears into the night. 


	3. Escape

Here's the third chapter! I hope everyone likes it and please review!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Lord of the Rings, all rights go to J.R.R. Tolkien.

Aragorn had struggled to get away at first, then realized that he wasn't going to get anywhere with it. The injured man began to grow heavy in his arms as they trudged along in the darkness of the night, and his ever increasing longing for water only slowed him down. Faramir's breath had grown shallow and quiet, making Aragorn even more nervous for his life. He just hoped that Legolas could get back to Minas Tirith and get help in time to save him.

There were four strong, sword-wielding Orcs marching behind him, occasionally prodding him on with the edge of their blades when he slackened the pace. The Ranger's legs were growing tired, and he didn't know how much longer he could carry his friend, but he knew that if he accidentally dropped him or stumbled, he could injure the already unconscious steward.

"Can't we stop? I'm gettin' tired, and I'm famished." Grumbled an Orc behind him.

"No, we're not stopping until we reach Isengard!" One of his captors towards the front of the pack screamed back.

"But I'm hungry!" The other complained.

"Shut up."

"Why don't you? You're the one that's forcing us to march all stinkin' night!"

Aragorn could feel the tension between the two as he kept walking, part of him hoping for a fight and the other part wanting everything to stay quiet. But, if they stopped, maybe they would give him something to drink. No. He thought. They would never do that. Besides, they probably don't even drink water. He shuddered. Suddenly the second Orc stopped and stomped towards the whining Orc.

"'R you trying to pick a fight?"

"Well, matter of fact, I am, Bilertz!"

"You know what happens to little Orcs who disobey their masters, don't you?" Bilertz growled, drawing his sword.

The younger Orc realized he had gone too far and tried to make up for it, but it was too late. Bilertz had already lopped his head off and was screaming for everyone to feast. The Orcs stampeded towards the dead carcass of their comrade and began to rip it apart, looking for the best chunks of meat. Aragorn took the opportunity and stumbled away as quickly and quietly as he could. He had only gotten a few meters away when he heard an Orc shout.

"Hey, where's our prisoners?"

"They're not here!" More panicked calls echoed throughout the group.

Aragorn's breath caught and he hit the ground immediately, gently laying Faramir across his lap. He was sitting behind a small patch of bushes, but if the Orcs decided to look here, they would find him for sure. The man tried to quiet the racing of his heart as the Orcs frantically looked around the area.

Faramir started to murmur unintelligibly in his unconscious state, and his friend covered his mouth. "Shh." He hushed the steward. But Faramir kept mumbling softly.

"Hey, what's that?"

Aragorn sank farther back into the shrub so only his feet were barely sticking out. "Shhh." He said quietly to his injured friend. "You must be quiet, Faramir." He whispered. He jumped when an Orc foot suddenly appeared by his hiding place. It was so quiet, he was afraid the Orc would hear the racing of his heart. It bent down and leaned its head into the bush.

"I don't see 'em." He straightened and walked back to the group.

Aragorn breathed a silent sigh of relief.

When the Orcs began to look in the opposite direction, Aragorn stood up slowly and started to creep away with his fallen friend. Slowly, the din of the Orcs' speech quieted, and Aragorn only stopped when he could hear it no more.

The sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon when the Ranger set his friend down and examined his wounds. He grimaced when he noticed that Faramir had at least two broken ribs from the impact of the arrow. A pool of dark, dried blood surrounding the arrow wound, and Aragorn knew he would have to pull it out. Not yet. Aragorn thought. I'll have to tend to his other wounds first. But I'll need water. He wished to use the water to tend to Faramir, and also to quench his own growing thirst. He sat still for a moment, the steward's head cradled in his lap, and listened. The faint sounds of trickling water reached his ears. Oh, thank the Valar! A stream! He lifted Faramir again gently and steadily walked through the forest towards the source of his hope.

The young elf prince had never had any intention of going back to Minas Tirith. He planned to creep up behind the pack of Orcs, slay them when they were least expecting, and rescue his friends. He knew Aragorn would not hold his tongue when he saw Legolas trying to rescue them, but it was the quickest way to free them and find help for Faramir, even if it meant getting chided by his best friend. He may not live long enough for me to make it back to the city and return with a healer. Legolas stole out of the woods and crept back onto the battlefield to retrieve his arrows and his two friends' weapons. He quickly found his arrows, which only seven of the fourteen were still intact. He found Faramir's weapons quickly, as well as Aragorn's sword. Where is his dagger? I saw him use it. The elf thought to himself. He searched among the dead bodies of the Orcs as fast as he could, knowing that every minute he wasted on weapons could be their last. Then he spotted the glistening dagger sticking out of an Orc's leg. As he yanked it out, he grimaced as black blood poured from the dead body. He ran as fast as he could back to their camp with his arms full of weapons. When he made it back, he quickly piled his two friends' weapons onto his cloak and wrapped it up, tying it securely with a coil of elvish rope he had brought. He slung the pack over his shoulder and went back to the battlefield to search for his companions. 


	4. The Hunt

DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Lord of the Rings. All rights to J.R.R. Tolkien! (And Peter Jackson, whatever)

Please review and tell me what you think! I'm completely open to tips and pointers, but no flames or bad language, or I will remove your review immediately. Thank you!

**Faramir Freak, I'm so glad you like my story, and this chapter is dedicated to you!**

Sorry everyone it took me so long getting this chapter out. I've been suffering from a bit of writer's block. But hang in there! I should be getting the next chapter posted some time tomorrow or the next day!

Aragorn stumbled along, the young rays of sunlight warming his back. He was so tired, it was hard to keep going, but the thought of water and Faramir dying made him move faster. Finally, he came to small, steady stream. He set Faramir down and filled his cupped hands with water and drank it vivaciously. He drank until he was satisfied, then gave Faramir some. Thankfully, he swallowed it. A good sign. Aragorn thought. He ripped of piece of his tunic off near the hem and soaked it in the cool stream water. He cleaned the blood off of the cut on his friend's face and saw that it wasn't as bad as it had looked. He didn't notice any signs of blood poisoning, and he felt reassured that maybe the young steward would indeed be okay. I guess I should set his arm while he's still unconscious. The Ranger decided. He leaned the unconscious man against his chest and grabbed his broken arm. Jerking it hard, he snapped it back into place with a sickening crack. He was never quite able to handle the sound of bones being put back into place. He glanced at Faramir. Still unconscious. Good. Maybe I can take the arrow out before he wakes up. He sat there for a minute, staring at his friend. I wish Legolas were here. He placed both hands on the black Orc arrow and pulled firmly but gently, so as not to wake Faramir up. The arrow didn't budge. Faramir stirred slightly. Aragorn frowned and once again pulled on the deadly weapon protruding from the man's chest. It still didn't move. One last time, Aragorn yanked hard on the arrow, and it came loose. Blood poured from the ugly wound. Quickly, he ripped another piece of shirt off and wrapped it around Faramir's chest, being careful to apply pressure but to not aggravate the already irritated wound.  
Suddenly a groan escaped his lips, and his eyelids fluttered open. Faramir stared up at Aragorn for a minute before trying to speak. "What…happened?"  
Aragorn felt like he was flying in the clouds. He let out a breath that he didn't know he had been holding. "You were attacked by Orcs. But you'll be fine." He said reassuringly to the injured steward. Faramir drew in a raspy breath and spoke again.  
"Where is Le…" He fell into a coughing fit, and Aragorn had to prop his head up to get him to stop.  
"Are you okay now, mellon nin?" He asked gently.  
Faramir nodded faintly and closed his eyes, his breathing barely audible.  
"Legolas has gone for help." He better have. Aragorn added to himself.

Legolas ran as quickly and quietly as he could, dodging the crunchy leaves and bodies of dead Orcs. He found their trail almost immediately. Every plant near where the Orcs had gone was completely smashed, and everything else around it. It was almost as if the Orcs had gone out of their way to destroy everything. A sudden shout rang out through the early morning air. Legolas' head shot up and he stood stock still, just like a frightened deer. Listening closely, he decided it was an Orc scream. I must be getting close. He followed the tracks of at least sixteen Orcs, and one set of human prints. They seemed deeper and heavier than Aragorn's normal footprints, but then the elf remembered he was carrying Faramir. At the horrifying thought of that black arrow sticking out of his friend, Legolas made his feet move faster. He began to hear sharp Orc voices, so he jumped up into a tree and climbed from tree to tree the rest of the way. He crouched on a thin limb on large ash tree and stared down at the group of Orcs.  
"It's not my fault you lost 'em!" An Orc shouted indignantly.  
"Wha-? I di'ent lose 'em! You did!" The other replied.  
"Great. Now what are we goin' to tell the Saruman?"  
"Nothin', Bilertz. He doesn't have to know." He replied blandly.  
Bilertz began to shout. "He already does know, you idiot!" He smacked his companion over the head with a club. The other Orc grabbed at his head and took a few steps back. "I told him we were bringin' the prisoners!"  
"Well, you've gotten us into quite a nice jam." The other scoffed.  
"I…did…not!" Bilertz screamed, now enraged with the other Orc's stupidity and boldness.  
The curious elf watched as Bilertz picked up his club again and knocked the other Orc to the ground with it. He then unsheathed his sword and slit his comrade's throat. Legolas shivered as he watched Orcs crowd in for more meat. This is disgusting. They are eating their fellow Orcs. He looked around, just to make sure he wasn't being watched. I guess that's just what they do. Orc filth. He watched for a few more minutes, hoping to spot his two friends. They must have gotten away.  
"Hey, what's that?" An Orc asked loudly. Legolas pressed his back against the tree trunk and stayed as still as possible. "That lil' flickering thing."  
The blond elf spotted a strand of his silvery hair that had been caught by the wind floating loftily around his face. His hand darted out and grabbed it, holding it close to him.  
"I don't see nothing." Another Orc replied.  
"Huh. Something was there. I saw it with my own eyes."  
"Aw, you see everything with your own eyes." The second Orc prodded.  
"I did see it!"  
Legolas slowly moved away from the trunk of the tall tree that was his refuge and moved into position to climb to the next tree. He waited until the Orcs were in a full out argument before making his move. He silently leaped to the closest tree, then the next. Before long, he had made it out of earshot of the Orcs and climbed down. He quickly found a set of tracks obviously made by a man. He stopped and listened closely, and, in the distance, he heard the faint sound of running water. If I know Aragorn, he'll be at that stream. Legolas thought to himself. But before he could follow the sound, Orc calls echoed through the forest. Feet flying, he made it to a clump of bushes just in time before the pack of Orcs came running past him. 


	5. Missing

DISCLAIMER: As always, all rights to Tolkien!

_

Legolas stood stock-still, his breathing not audible, even after his run, and waited for the orcs to pass. He would have gone out and fought them, but he knew as skilled as he was, there was no way he could take them all out without getting captured or injured himself. He flattened himself against the thick trunks of the tall shrubs and tried to melt away into the forest. The orcs thundered past, not even giving him a sidelong glance. He watched each one silently as they ran past, then his eyes flicked to something moving dead ahead. Staying quiet, he squinted his eyes. Yes, there was something there. It seemed like the orcs were never ending, each one taking their time as they galloped through the woods. Suddenly Legolas spotted a man's head of dark hair, then he saw the face that went with it. Aragorn! The elf wanted to cry out and run to his friend, but the orcs were still, passing and he couldn't draw attention to himself; or them. The Ranger hadn't seen him, and Legolas watched him as the orcs continued to go by. In his friend's arms was Faramir's limp form, his chest rising and falling slowly. The pair was not far from where the elf was, and still, they had not seen him. I guess I've blended in very well. He thought. They, too, had ducked behind a boulder to hide from the orcs. Legolas stared at his two friends, willing them to stay hidden and wait for him to reach them. But, Aragorn suddenly stood up, sliding over behind a tree, still holding Faramir. He watched as Aragorn's gray eyes flicked from the orcs and back to Faramir. No. Legolas thought in despair. Stay where you are. I'm right here. But the man did not hear the elf's thoughts, and he quietly crept away out of sight. Legolas could barely keep himself pinned to the tree. He longed to go after them, but he knew if he did that, he would have to cross the orcs' path. The last of them were just leaving, and Legolas couldn't hold himself still any longer. Every moment his friends got farther and farther away. The elf sprang into action, pulling an arrow from his quiver and launching it into an orc's throat before he even knew the wood elf was there. There were only three orcs still in sight, and Legolas already has his bow bent and an arrow flying before any of them noticed their fallen comrade. The last two charged him, and swung at his head. The elf threw himself backwards and landed in a neat backward somersault, unleashing another arrow as soon as he was on his feet again. He stabbed the other with his white-handled knife when it got too close for an arrow, and the elf checked his surroundings for others. When he was satisfied that he had killed the only ones in range, he ran off in the direction his two friends had gone. He didn't bother trying to find a trail, he just ran exactly where they had gone. What is the point, anyway? How far can someone carrying an injured man get? He ran as fast as he could, ignoring loud crunch of dry leaves under his feet. As he got closer, he heard a rustling noise, then saw someone skitter out of the way and hide in a grove of trees.  
"Aragorn!" He called quietly. If those orcs were still near, he didn't want to attract them. He slowed as he reached the small clearing bordered by giant trees with their brilliant red and brown leaves. "Aragorn!" He called again.  
"Legolas?" A pair of gray eyes peeked out from behind a tree, then the Ranger stepped away from his hiding place. "Legolas! You are here!" He said in relief, coming forward to greet his friend. He gave him a quick hug, then looked behind him. "You have brought no help for Faramir?"  
The wood elf opened his mouth as if to speak, then shut it and stared at his friend's face. A look of despair crossed the man's face and he started to speak when Legolas interrupted him. "I am just as skilled in healing as any of the other elves in Imladris." Well, maybe not as skilled as some of them… He thought.  
"Legolas, you know Faramir is injured. He won't survive long without help." He reasoned.  
"Aragorn, I couldn't leave you here to be killed by those orcs!" Legolas began to feel as if Aragorn was not grateful for his being there.  
"You knew I had everything under control! Faramir is half-dead! The orc poison is spreading through his body!" He looked back to the tree where he had left the injured steward, then returned to the elf. His voice grew soft. "He's going to die, Legolas."  
For the first time in a long while, the elf saw tears glistening in his best friend's eyes. His lower lip trembled as if he were going to start crying. And Legolas understood. How could I have been so selfish? He wanted to smack himself. I should have thought about poor Faramir, and gotten help for him! Now he will die and it is my fault. All because I wanted to free them, when I knew they would be well until I got help.  
Aragorn still stood there, staring at his friend with dark, sad eyes. Without looking at the Ranger, Legolas let himself sag against a tree. How could I have been so selfish? He repeated to himself. He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder and looked up to see his battle-hardened friend soften with emotion. "I am sorry, Legolas. I did not mean to upset you."  
"No, Aragorn. It is my fault. I should have gone back for help."  
"It is done now, mellon nin. All we can do now is help him as best we can and go with all speed back to Minas Tirith."  
"Let me see him. Maybe there is something I can do." Legolas said determinedly.  
"I doubt it, Legolas. His condition is beyond our power to heal." But, nevertheless, Aragorn led the elf to where he had left Faramir slumped against the tree. When he went to the other side of the trunk, he gasped. Legolas rushed forward to see what was wrong, and he, too was filled with dread. The young steward was gone. 


	6. Searching

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Lord of the Rings. All rights to their respective owners!**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**And here's just a little warning, try to concentrate on the plot of this story, because it might get a little crazy and fast for a little while.**

**Nightmarecrypienix, I don't know if you're reading this story, but this chapter is dedicated to you because you're a great person and we both totally understand each other about the Lord of the Rings and Jerklas.**

Faramir stumbled feebly through the forest, shooing away invisible insects and trying not to trip on tree roots that were not really there. He knew the orc poison was getting to his brain, and knew he was hallucinating, but he just couldn't help smacking his arm when an imaginary mosquito would land on it. His head was foggy and heavy, and a grayish haze distorted his vision. All he knew for sure wasn't a hallucination was the sharp, stinging pain in his chest and the aching of his arm. He ignored the strands of auburn hair that hung in his face and concentrated on finding his way back to Minas Tirith. He vaguely remembered Aragorn being here, but then the memory would fade out, and he could remember no more. All he knew is that he woke up leaning against a tree, and Aragorn and Legolas were nowhere in sight. So he had stood up and walked away from his current destination to find the city where he lived. He figured he had only gone a few yards when he heard a shout.

"Faramir! Faramir!" The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't place it; so he continued on. Swiping at the insects and dodging tree roots.

"Faramir! Faramir, where are you?" Another voice rang through the woods, and the young steward stopped to listen. He couldn't tell whose voice it was either because of the poison or the fever that had started to rack his body. His legs felt suddenly weak, and he had to sit down. He leaned up against a tree and relaxed for a minute, giving his aching feet a break. Suddenly he started to cough violently, and his whole body shook with pain as it disturbed his broken ribs. He sat there for a minute after he had finished and stared up at the baby blue sky. He felt extremely hot and sweaty, and at the same time freezing cold. He knew he had to find help, or he would surely die out here in the forest. As he sat there and tried to sort through his muddled thoughts, he felt a sharp tug on the collar of his shirt. The pull yanked him to his feet and up into the tree above him. He barely caught a glimpse of a long, pale arm as he was slammed against the tree trunk. He sat there on the fat limb for a minute, waiting for the fog to clear out of his eyesight. When it did finally clear, he saw a tall, hooded figure sitting before him, staring intently at the steward. A short silence followed, and he heard the same two voices echoing through the forest. Suddenly, the dark figure sprang into action, lifting a metal rod into his hands. Before Faramir could do anything, the cloaked kidnapper had hit him over the head with it and everything went dark.

Legolas and Aragorn searched frantically for their friend, calling his name ceaselessly and looking everywhere for tracks. It did not take long to pick up his trail, because his footprints were deep and heavy in the ground, and with every step, a trail of blood followed. Aragorn worried greatly for the steward, knowing the fever induced by the poison could kill him all on its own without the help of the broken ribs and arrow wound.

The elf and man followed the tracks for several minutes, noting the squashed plants and dark red blood beside each footprint. "He has gone on his own, it seems." Aragorn said quietly to himself. Legolas remained quiet. "He couldn't have gotten far, judging by the slow pace he was at and his injuries." Suddenly the Ranger stopped and stood up, scanning the area.

"What is wrong, Aragorn?" The elf inquired thoughtfully.

"The tracks. They stop here." The man stepped carefully out of the way of the remaining tracks and began to search. "Where could he have gone? The tracks just…end."

Legolas stayed where he was and glanced up at the tree above him, then looked back down to the ground. "Maybe he is lying somewhere here in the underbrush." The two searched all the surrounding underbrush, but found no Faramir. "Let's keep going north, maybe we just can't see his footprints." The pair hurried along in the forest, looking for their lost friend.

**I am so sorry, this chapter was entirely too short. I will try to make the later chapter longer, but I haven't posted in a while, and I've got a bit of writer's block. But I will be posting about once a week. Thanks for reading and keep reviewing!**


	7. Strange Awakenings

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Lord of the Rings! All rights to J.R.R. Tolkien!**

**Woohoo! Yippee for me! I just finished The Two Towers this morning! Now I've started reading The Return of the King! And then next, The Hobbit, and then, all the other works by Tolkien! Sorry, I kind of got carried away, there. But, anyway, I hope you like chappie 7! :D**

**Sorry everyone, another short chapter :( I'm having a hard time getting these chapters done quickly :(:( *double frowny face***

Faramir's aqua eyes slowly opened, but were quickly shut by the pain inflicted by the luminous glare that rained down on him. He was fully conscious, just a little discombobulated* as to where he was. After a few minutes, he tried opening his eyes again, and found that the light seemed to have gone down. As the jet-black tendrils started to creep out of his eyesight, he noticed that he was in a very dark, dank place, and it reeked of rotting flesh. The first thing the young steward felt was a searing pain in his chest and a dull aching in his left arm. As weary and confused as he was, he somehow remembered that the pain in his chest was from the wound the poisoned orc arrow had left. His hand found the deep wound and rubbed it carefully. Where am I? He thought.  
Suddenly a faint light flickered on and his surroundings lit up with a blossoming flame of light. He was in a cave, apparently alone, and a silent trickle of water ran down from the roof of the cave to the floor. Constantly dripping. Splat…Splat…Splat. Faramir directed his foggy gaze to where the light had appeared, and he saw a hooded figure hanging the brightly burning lantern on a hook attached to the ceiling.  
"So, he finally awakes." The voice did not sound threatening, but, even through his delirium, Faramir knew that it was just a disguise over his actual cruelty. "You've been asleep for at least an hour."  
The injured man didn't say anything, just remained silent. Quickly and silently, the figure cast off it's dark cloak to reveal a man, about in his thirties, grinning at him. He could not tell whether it was a smile of evil or one of good. The man was wearing a tan tunic with black pants, and his weather worn boots came up to his knees. A shining sheath was strapped around his waist and a bow with a full quiver on his back. The man's hair was very fair, almost white-blond when looked at in the sunlight, but, then again, Faramir did not know that, for the cave was too dark to tell.  
"Who are you?" The steward asked weakly.  
"Who are you?" His captor retorted. Before Faramir could answer, he sighed and spoke again. "The name's Callisto." When he got a confused glance from his prisoner, he gave an exasperated sigh. "I'm only telling you because I hate it when people refer to me as "you" or not call me anything at all." He paused and stacked some wood into a small, neat pile. "It's incredibly annoying."  
Callisto struck a chunk of flint with his dagger, and, when it sparked, threw it into the fire. The flickering flames grew almost immediately into a warm, welcoming blaze. If he were in anybody else's hands besides Callisto's, Faramir would have scooted closer to the fire and enjoyed its warmth. But, all he did was glare menacingly at his captor.  
"You're not scaring me." Callisto said, giving his prisoner a sideways look.  
"I wasn't trying to." The injured man's reply was weak and almost inaudible, but Callisto picked it up.  
"Don't sass back at me." He warned, casting him a threatening stare.  
Faramir had a sudden urge to roll his eyes at his captor, but then stopped himself, realizing that it would be a stupid move. Instead, he said, "What do you want with me?"  
Callisto laughed quietly, then turned to his prisoner. "Shut up." His countenance turned serious and harsh. "That's for me to know, and you to find out." Then another smile lit up his face and he laughed again. "Actually, I rather enjoy having a prisoner." He stood beside Faramir and leaned over until his forehead was almost touching the steward's. "It's fun." He said menacingly. He rose and went back to tend to his small campfire. The young man's heart beat fast in his chest as he watched Callisto stoking the flames. _How am I going to get out of here?_ He wondered. He knew he wasn't going anywhere for a while, at least not until he healed somewhat. Then his thoughts strayed to Legolas and Aragorn, and he knew that they would come for him. _They will. I know it._ He thought.  
Faramir was injured and in no position to escape, but he knew, deep down, that his friends would rescue him.

***Discombobulated: Just a little word my math teacher a few years back taught me. I know, it's not really a common word. It just means you're confused.**

_**Almost 2,000 views? This is insane! Thank you so much you guys! I feel like a million bucks when I hear you guys like my stories!**_

**_REVIEW REPLIES_**

_Luthien T: Sorry about the wait. I got really caught up in my job. Yeah, my boss will pay my way to camp if I work at the concession stand up at the ballfields. Awesome, right? Thanks for your support and I LOVE YOUR STORIES KEEP WRITING!_

_EvenstarWarrior: Thank you for all your pointers! I totally take those to heart and make changes to my stories because of your awesome advice! You are very inspiring and help me keep writing when I get behind. Thank you!_

_leggomygreggo2: Thanks for the support! I thrive on your guys' awesome reviews and constructive criticism!_

_Bloody Lord: I'm glad that you like this story! I will try to update ASAP every week, so just hang in there!_

_Thank you everyone for your beautiful reviews and for those that never miss a beat on reviewing and reading these chapters! You guys make me feel very special and important and I am proud to have you as readers!_

_Mrs. King Aragorn_


	8. Questions

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Lord of the Rings or any of its characters except for Callisto…I made him up all in my own brain. All rights to J.R.R. Tolkien!**

"They are not here, I told you!" Legolas raised his voice at his human friend, although he knew that it would only at wood to the flames.  
"Then where did they go?" Aragorn felt his anger rising at the wood elf as the two exchanged heated words.  
"I don't know! Why will you not listen to me?"  
Aragorn sighed and looked up to the sky. "I am listening to you. I just don't understand what you're trying to tell me."  
"I'm telling you that we should go back to Minas Tirith and get help." The elf's brilliant blue eyes seemed to bore into the man, making him feel guilty for yelling at him. "Then we come back and retrace the footprints and find Faramir."  
Aragorn tried to calm his raging temper and take deep breaths. "We can't leave him." He said slowly, elongating every word. "What if he has been taken by orcs, or worse! What if he is lying somewhere on the side of the road, dying!?"  
"Estel, I know you care about him, as do I. But we cannot let our feelings get in the way of what we must do. In order to save Faramir, we have to get help. We cannot do this alone. Unless we find him quickly, he will surely die."  
His last words seemed to quench the fire inside the Ranger, and he calmed down and tried to let the sensible elf's reasoning penetrate his brain. "But one of us should stay."  
"And do what?"  
"Look for Faramir! Legolas, we have to at least try." Aragorn protested.  
"I'm not saying we shouldn't try. I'm saying that we will need more people to help look for him. This is your steward I am speaking of, not a stranger that I do not care for. Aragorn, this will mean his life or his death."  
"I'm not leaving back to Minas Tirith while Faramir is still out there suffering." The Ranger stated stubbornly.  
"Fine." The elf relented. "Have it your way. I am going to go back to Minas Tirith and get help." He turned to leave, but then whirled back around and pointed a finger at Aragorn. "I do not want to come back and find you in any trouble, human."  
A smile spread across the man's face as he watched his elf friend slink quietly into the woods towards Minas Tirith. "Elves." He muttered under his breath.

-

With wary eyes, Faramir stared at the man warming his hands beside the fire.  
"Would you like to join me?" He asked without a glance at his prisoner.  
Faramir looked the other way rebelliously, purposefully leaving his question hanging in the damp air.  
"Fine. Freeze to death, for all I care."  
At this the steward's interest perked up and he turned back around to face Callisto. "Then why am I here?" Callisto looked up for a moment, then looked back down into the flames. "Just so you can kill me?"  
"Shut up. It's none of your business." Faramir sensed there was something this man was hiding that he didn't want his prisoner to find out about.  
"I'm pretty sure it is." The injured man said, casting a fleeting glance about the room.  
"No, it's not! So shut up and sit still, or I'll have to make you." He threatened.  
The young man's eyes noticed a small, glimmering knife lying beside Callisto. His captor's eyes followed his and he found what the steward was staring at.  
"You're a bounty hunter, aren't you?" Faramir asked. Despite his impending danger and the pain radiating from his arrow wound, he wanted to know the answer to his question.  
"People say I am strange." He looked up at his injured prisoner. "But does it make me a stranger?"*  
Faramir, being slightly confused by this statement, looked at him quizzically.  
"I've captured you." He explained with an exasperated sigh. "I look like a bounty hunter," he said, motioning towards his apparel, "I probably sound like a bounty hunter, but I am not." He stood up and approached his prisoner, who still sat where he had placed him two hours ago. "Not everything is as it appears to be."

**You're welcome for the early chapter. I know, I'm not really one to write long chapters. Well, I hoped you all liked it and I want to give a special thanks to DC Talk and their song Jesus Freak for the line "People say I'm strange; does it make me a stranger?"**

_**REVIEW REPLIES**_

_**LuthienThranduillion: Here is a message for you from EvenstarWarrior:**_

_**P.s. please tell Luthien T that I need to self-correct myself. I posted the review about Faramir knowing Elvish before I read that part in the Two Towers. Sorry, I read it like two days after I posted. I apologize, and I self-correct. :)**_

_**Heeheehe, thank you for reviewing. You were the first to do so on the last chapter! Thank you so much! And I know exactly how you feel about Your Precious. Aragorn is My Preccciiooouuuussss… Sorry about that, I guess I'm just like you about my alter-ego side. But you had better protect your precious from Faramir Freak, who's reviewed a couple of times. (She's a total Faramir fan-girl, so you'd better watch out) ;)**_

_**EvenstarWarrior: Thank you for reviewing and reading these chapters! I appreciate that so much! I'm sorry you hate cliffies, but, sorry, 'cause you're just going to have to deal with it :P. Uh, to answer your question about why Legolas and Aragorn didn't look in the immediate area, they did. A little. I guess I kinda left that part out. I got really caught up in the Faramir story. And, yeah, Legolas wouldn't have been able to see Faramir in the tree because the kidnapper made sure of that. Thanks for the advice and reviews!**_

_**Bloody Lord: Thank you for all your reviews! I mean, seriously, you are on a roll! Thank you so much for that! I'm so glad you like these chapters. Whenever I get down about writing this and think I should just stop writing, I always look at your reviews. Thank you for the encouragement!**_

_**leggomygreggo2: All right, let's go on a first-name basis. Hi Leggo! How's it goin'? Okay, enough of that. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR REVIEWING!;) I can tell you are a Faramir fan, too. I get a lot of those people. What about Aragorn fan-girls, huh?! He is so awesome! Anyways, I totally appreciate your reading and reviewing my story. I hope you liked this chapter!**_

**If I missed anyone that is totally not intentional! Just PM me and I will reply to your review if I missed it. I love all you guys! *hugs reviewers***

**Until next time!**

**Mrs. King Aragorn**


	9. Rescued? Not quite

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Lord of the Rings (unfortunately). All rights to J.R.R. Tolkien, the totally fabulous author of the amazing trilogy!**

_**So, thank you LuthienThranduillion for the idea of having a question at the end of each chapter that has something to do with LOTR or it's sister books. I hope you don't mind that I use your idea, Luthien T. And, also, at the end of each chapter I will put an inspiring (Christian) song. I suggest you listen to each one, because they are all awesome.**_

Crunch! Aragorn cursed quietly and halted. He had accidentally stepped on a pile of dead, dry leaves. He was usually more careful, but his friend, injured and possibly captured by orcs, kept his mind occupied. The Ranger froze, not moving a muscle, listening for any disturbance. As if he were trying not to wake a sleeping baby, he crept on.  
He had found two sets of footprints near the base of the tree Faramir's tracks had disappeared by. He had spotted them almost immediately after Legolas had gone back to Minas Tirith for help. He followed them silently, careful not to step on anything else that would make noise and possibly alert whoever had captured his friend. He could practically see the scene playing out in his brain of Faramir's broken form being yanked along the worn path the footprints followed. He shook his head violently to rid himself of the horrible thought and concentrated on trailing his lost friend and his captor.  
After climbing into the tree that Aragorn had found the tracks near, he was horrified. He had clamped his hand over his mouth to prevent himself from screaming in anger when he saw the long, metal rod lying on one of the limbs, blood covering the end. _The man was already injured and wasn't going to go anywhere. He had thought. Why did he have to beat him over the head?_  
The experienced Ranger shuddered at the thought of the bloody weapon. Suddenly anger mounted inside the man, and he tried to divert his thoughts to keep from throwing or kicking something._ I wonder if Legolas has made it back to Minas Tirith yet._ He thought. _Probably not, since he did not have a horse._  
The tracks went on for hours. It seemed that every time he thought they stopped, he found another set a few feet away. As he followed them, he thought of how he would deal with Faramir's captor, and what he would do if Legolas had not returned yet with help. If there are many of them, there is no way I will be able to fight them all off alone.  
Suddenly, a shiver ran up his spine, and he felt eyes watching him. He scanned the area with his gray eyes quickly, but noticed nothing out of the ordinary. All the same, though, he lightly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. A strange feeling that danger lurked somewhere haunted his thoughts as he continued to walk, occasionally looking back. Crack! The Ranger whirled around upon hearing the alarming noise to face whatever was behind him. His alert eyes searched the area, but found nothing. Just as he was about to dismiss it as his stepping on a twig, a flash of gray passed by on his right side. He drew his sword and prepared for whatever was going to attack him. Suddenly a warg leaped from the underbrush and lunged at his throat. Aragorn ducked and slashed at the beast with his sword, but only managed to graze its rough hide. The animal retreated and prowled menacingly around him in a circle. Drawing himself back to his feet, the Ranger stared at the warg, awaiting its next attack. He started to wonder where it had come from, because he knew Faramir had not been captured by orcs. The tracks would have told him so. With a hiss, the creature dashed over to him and slammed its monsterous paws into Aragorn's chest. He was thrown backwards onto his back, but, thankfully, his hand still gripped his sword. The warg's impact knocked the breath from him, and the weight of its paw on his chest made it hard to breathe. Beady yellow eyes gazed down on him in anticipation of the kill. Just as it raised its foot for the kill, Aragorn jammed his sword as hard as he could into its leg. Howling in pain, the warg jerked away and leaped off its prey. Its sudden motion yanked the blade from Aragorn's hand, leaving the man weaponless. The warg's massive jaws clamped around the hilt of the sword and pulled it from its flesh, tossing it to the ground. Growling in anger, it approached him again, bloodlust in its eyes.  
He shakily got to his feet, and took a few steps back. _I have no weapon._ He thought with a fleeting glance at Andúril. _I cannot fail. Faramir is still out there, and I have to save him._ The furry creature launched itself at the Ranger and pinned him to the ground again. As Aragorn tried to struggle away from its grasp, the warg clamped its filthy jaws around its prey.

-

Legolas had been walking for at least four hours before he made it back to the place where they had first been assaulted by orcs. He ran as fast as he could back to their camp to find that everything he had left was still there. Ignoring their bedrolls and the unlit campfire, he whistled for his horse, hoping it had not run far off. When there was no reply, he jogged a little ways away and whistled again. A faint whinny could be heard, and then hoofbeats. The elf sighed in relief as his pure white stallion shoved his way through the underbrush. Nickering, the horse approached Legolas and rubbed its cheek to the elf's hand, waiting to be praised for his obedience.  
"Where have your companions gone, mellon nin? N'alaquel a' i' tal?" [back to the city] He asked, stroking Arod on the muzzle.  
His stallion nodded and snorted. "That does not surprise me. You are much more brave than they, are you not?" Legolas praised his horse.  
Arod pawed the ground and whinnied loudly. Laughing, the elf mounted. "Well, now you must follow them."  
They cantered until they were out of the woods. Then, when they hit the flat that lay between Minas Tirith and the forest, the elf gave Arod his head and nudged him into a gallop. His milky white stallion ate up the ground with his silver hooves as they made their way closer and closer to the city. If it had been at any other time, Legolas would have enjoyed feeling the wind on his face; but not now. His thoughts dwelt on Aragorn and Faramir, hoping that they were both all right. He had no doubts that the Ranger could fend for himself, it was the steward he was more worried about. From the looks of him when he was captured, Legolas had his doubts that he would survive.  
When the pair reached the gates, the opened quickly to let them in. Legolas reined Arod and gave him a quick pat before dismounting and handing the sweaty horse over to a guard. He ran as fast as he could through the streets, intending to find the royal guard and alert them of their steward's danger; but, before he could make it there, his attention got sidetracked and he slammed right into a tall person standing in front of him. Not expecting the sudden impact, Legolas fell flat on his back, surprised. The person turned around and he saw a face he did not expect to meet here.  
"Elladan?" He asked in wonder, pulling himself to his feet.  
"Legolas! I did not expect to see you here." Confusion flickered across the fair elven face. "I thought you were hunting with Estel?"  
"He is in danger, we must get help." Legolas said, looking around frantically.  
"Estel? Estel is in danger!?" Elladan exlaimed, getting panicked.  
"No! No, not Aragorn. It is Faramir."  
"The steward?"  
Legolas nodded and started to move away to get help when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to face Elladan.  
"No, do not get any more help. Elrohir and I will aid you. I am assuming the steward has been captured?"  
Legolas nodded again. "It is not orcs, we know that much. But he is gravely injured, and we must help him as quickly as possible." He glanced over the Rivendell elf's shoulder. "Where is your brother?"  
"Right here." Legolas jumped at a voice behind him and turned to see Elladan's younger twin staring at him with glittering eyes. "What were you saying, Legolas? Does someone need our help?"  
"Yes. Faramir."  
"The steward." Elladan supplied for his other half.  
"Oh." Elrohir said, nodding slightly.  
The Mirkwood elf started to get annoyed with the brothers' nonchalantness. "Would you two stop it! Faramir and Aragorn are in trouble and you two are acting like children!"  
"Children! I am not acting like a child—" Elrohir began.  
"Estel? He is in trouble also? Why didn't you say so?" Elladan cut in.  
"He is not in any kind of danger, but you two would not give me your full attention for two minutes!"  
"All right, Legolas. Calm down. We will go right away, right, Elrohir?"  
The elf nodded. "Let's go."

After the three elves had saddled up, they rode out with all haste, the fate of their two friends weighing heavily on their hearts.  
Before long, they had reached the abandoned camp. None of the elves bothered to dismount, they just rode on to the battlefield, which was still littered with orc bodies. Elrohir grimaced at the disturbing sight, but did not slow his horse that pranced along beside his brother.  
"Are we almost there?" He asked, tearing his eyes away from the gruesome scene before him.  
"Yes." Legolas called back to him. "We are almost to the place I left Aragorn."  
They rode on for another hour before Legolas stopped his horse. "This is the place. He must have kept looking for Faramir. We should find him."  
Without saying a word, the three friends dismounted and tied their horses to a nearby tree.

_**REPLIES TO REVIEWS:**_

_**Faramir Freak: I'm so glad that you're "chomping at the bit"; 'cause obviously that means you like my story! Thank you so much for reviewing! And you're welcome for not killing Faramir, but you know fanfiction writers…we can get…unpredictable…Mwuahaha!**_

_**The Archer's Bow: Hey, I totally love your name! I love archery! I'm so glad you enjoyed my story and I hope you liked this chapter! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**_

_**Smirkwood Elf: Hahaha, I totally love our name. Smirkwood elf, that's funny. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing! And I don't think you'll be needing that "evil glare", 'cause I promise I won't kill off Faramir.**_

_**Bloody Lord:Thanks for all your encouragement! I'm so happy that you like this story! I don't know how much I rock, but I certainly know you rock! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I appreciate it and I love to hear your thoughts on my story!**_

**Question of the day:**  
**J.R.R. Tolkien almost scratched the Arwen/Aragorn love story. The books have it very subtle, but in the end I do believe they get married. The movie exaggerates their love, like, to the max. Do you agree with their exaggeration? Why or why not?**

**If you guys would like to keep doing the Question for the Day, then let me know. The Song of the Day:**  
**Not Alone**  
**Artist: Red**

**Well, I hope everyone liked this chapter! If you liked the Song of the Day, then I would love to know, because I am a total fan of this song. It's super inspiring and beautiful, isn't it?**

**Mrs. King Aragorn**


	10. A Decided Fate

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Lord of the Rings! All rights to the fabulous J.R.R. Tolkien!**

**Hehehe…I hope you all liked my cliffie! I'm sure you're all waiting anxiously to find out what will happen to Aragorn, who is in the jaws of death right now, hahaha, literally speaking. If I feel like being nice then I might let him live. Actually, no, I would never kill my sweetie pie. He's My Prrreeecccciioouuusss…..**

"Where has that dumb old animal gotten to?" **(Me: I'm a total grammar junkie so this is really killing me here.)** Callisto ran his hand through his blond hair and his piercing gaze scanned the area outside the cave.

If Faramir were not feeling completely horrible right now, he may have made some smart comment about his not having a leash on his pet warg. His head was pounding mercilessly where his captor had hit him with the metal pipe and his arm ached with a dull, throbbing pain.

"Maybe he's found your little friends. Hopefully he'll kill 'em off. Then I won't have to worry about them rescuing you." He turned to face his dazed prisoner. "Of course, I don't know who would want to rescue you, you pitiful creature."

The steward's anger blazed to life with his rude taunting. He wanted to relieve the man's ugly head from his despicable shoulders. But, deep down, he knew he couldn't. First, from the condition he was in, and, second, this man was Faramir's only hope to live until his friend's rescued him. If he was left alone here in the forest, lost and injured, he would die. Despite how much he wanted to deny it, Faramir knew this man held his only hope to live.

"Hey! Bingo! Where are you, boy?"

Callisto's prisoner almost laughed aloud at the silly name for the giant, monstrous creature that he called his pet. He had all confidence in his two friends that they would save him and avoid Bingo.

"As soon as that crazy animal comes back, we can leave this filthy place." Callisto said, returning from the entrance to the cave to sit across from Faramir. Although the man's words sounded harsh, the steward could detect threads of love and kindness for the animal he held as probably his only friend.

"I found him when he was a little tiny baby." Callisto launched into a story before Faramir could stop him. The injured steward could see that under the surface, the man's heart was soft, especially towards animals. _He just needs a change of ways._ He thought. "It was a cold, rainy night, and he was lying by the side of the road, all shivering and whimpering." The man sighed. "My heart went out to the little fella, so I took him in." He glanced up at Faramir, who was staring at him intently, a strange look on his face.

"Now…he's mostly out on his own." He paused for a moment, as if considering what he was about to say. Then, barely audible, he said, "He needs to get his own life. Like me."

-

A ripping pain tore through Aragorn as the massive jaws clamped around his chest and lifted him into the air. He was violently swung around, hanging limply from the warg's teeth. He could not scream in terror or cry out in agony, only let himself be swung around and around. Finally, the animal stopped suddenly, its ears perking up as if listening to something. Its mouth opened and as the Ranger fell from its mouth, he gasped as he hit the ground gracelessly. The warg cast a nervous glance from its prey, then back in the direction it had heard something. Suddenly the sound reached Aragorn's ears.

"Bingo! Where are you, boy?"

_Bingo?! This is somebody's pet?!_ He thought incredulously as he fought away the black mist that curled itself around his eyes. The animal seemed to be having a mental argument with itself on whether to leave its prey and go to its master, or stay here and finish his meal. Aragorn begged the Valar for the first one. He was completely defenseless. If the animal decided to finish eating, he would die by its teeth. Before he could try to roll away, the animal lunged forward and caught the Ranger up in its teeth again. Then, Bingo galloped off in the direction of the calls with its unfinished meal in its mouth. Aragorn did not think he was going to survive the trip to the warg's master, but before he knew it, they were there. Bingo placed him carefully on the ground inside a cave and stood over him. The first thing the Ranger's blurry gaze caught was the sight of his injured steward.

"Faramir." He whispered faintly before collapsing to the ground.

The three elves followed the set of human tracks silently, not saying anything to each other. Legolas was in the lead, followed closely by Elrohir, then Elladan. Suddenly, a the Mirkwood elf stopped dead in his tracks and gasped, slowly bringing his hand up to his mouth. The two Rivendell elves quickly came to stand beside their friend and almost cried when they saw a large pool of deep red, human blood on the ground. Elladan was the first to take a cautious step forward to examine the blood.

"This is Estel's blood." He said, his voice cracking on the last word. The looked at the tracks that were scattered everywhere over the ground, some mingling with others.

"There has been a battle." Elrohir said, following a set of paw prints. "A warg attacked him." The dark-haired elf pointed at a set of prints. Legolas and Elladan stood beside him and stared at the tracks, but said nothing. The three continued to scan the prints, trying to find where Aragorn had gone.

Suddenly, Elrohir found his voice again after staring at the same grotesque scene before him. "Look." He said in despair.

Elladan was the first to reach his side and his mouth gaped in horror at the sight. Elrohir was pointing at a specific spot where the paw prints were especially deep; and blood was sprinkled everywhere on the ground, as if it had been flung from its source. Legolas joined them and all three pairs of eyes followed the warg tracks that broke apart from the others and cantered away from the area, spots of blood covering the ground beside each print.

**Hahaha. Aragorn's life still lies in the balance. Anyway, Question of the Day and Song of the Day are below, as well as review replies. I hope you all liked the song for yesterday! Please PM me if you listened to it and tell me what you thought of it!** **And if anyone likes Bingo, then you'd better plead for his life...'cause I'll probably kill him off in the next few chapters. Just a little warning for you animal lovers. Don't get me wrong, I adore animals. I just want some sorrow in my story.**

**And you're welcome for the early chapter. Hehe, my excitement kinda got the best of me. You'd better thank my excitement.**  
**(excitement) You're welcome!**  
**(me) Wait, they didn't even say thank you yet, you dummy!**  
**(excitement) whatever.**

_**REVIEW REPLIES**_

_**LuthienThranduillion: Well, I hope you enjoyed Aragorn's fate! Of course, his fate is not over yet…*evil laugh* In the end, he'll probably end up being the hero, 'cause he's so dang awesome! And I hope you like cliffies (which you just told me you didn't, so that's kind of a stupid statement)! Don't worry, there will be plenty more of them!**_

_**Bloody Lord: Awww! Thank you so much for all those beautiful compliments! *blushes* I totally appreciate that, and, seriously…You're the one who rocks, not me!**_

_**Special thanks to Bloody Lord, Luthien T., Faramir Freak, and EvenstarWarrior for reviewing every chapter! I really appreciate your guys' advice, constructive criticism, and praise! So thank you, you four!**_

**Question of the Day:**

** Do you think Peter Jackson should have followed the Hobbit book, or do you agree with him changing the book for the movie? Why or why not?**

**Song of the Day:**  
**Closer**  
**Artist: Manic Drive**


	11. Missing In Action

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Lord of the Rings *frowny face* or its characters *double frowny face* and, unfortunately, I do not own Aragorn *sad face*. All rights to its amazing author, J.R.R. Tolkien!**

Before Callisto could stop him, or the sharp pain in his chest could disagree, Faramir shot upright and grabbed his friend before the Ranger could hit the hard ground face first. He had to bite back a cry of anger as he saw what had been done to his king. Four deep, parallel gashes ran around his chest in a circle, just like a giant animal had bitten him. Blood seeped from the wounds and soaked his used-to-be-white shirt.

"Look what you have done to him!" The steward shouted before he could bite back his thoughts. "You should not let that pet of yours run around hurting people!"

Callisto laughed violently, leaning against Bingo with an arm around the animal's neck. "Good work, boy. I knew I could count on you." He rubbed behind the warg's ears, and the monstrous creature lolled out its tongue and barked happily. As Bingo's tail wagged enthusiastically, Faramir saw the bond the man and the warg had for each other.

Carefully, the steward lowered his friend to the ground and stared intently down on his face. A fiery anger mounted inside him as he turned his poisonous glare at his captor. Without giving him a glance, Callisto sank down beside his small fire, Bingo close at his heels. The giant warg lay down beside the man and put its head in his human friend's lap. Callisto caressed the coarse hair on his pet's face and smiled. "You're a good boy, you know that? A good boy."

Faramir gave the man an incredulous look. "Aren't you going to help him?" He asked, motioning towards the limp form in his arms.

Silence. Callisto and his pet warg stared at Faramir with strange looks before he answered. "No."  
The steward screamed inwardly, knowing that without help his friend would die soon. A sudden wave of dizziness took him, and he leaned back against the cave wall and closed his eyes. It was all too much. The orc poison was coursing painfully through his veins, his best friend was lying there in his arms, dying, and his captor was laughing at the helpless form he held. The steward's world would not hold still, everything was careening in circles and he couldn't steady it. No. He thought as black dots swam before his eyes. I have to stay awake. For Aragorn. But his thoughts were cut short as he lost his grip on consciousness and fell back into oblivion.

"He is dead." Elladan mumbled lifelessly.

"No, I will not accept death as Estel's fate. He would not, either." Elrohir said firmly.

"But the animal has taken him off to his lair! Our Estel has become dinner for that monster!" Elladan's heart was ripping apart at the thought of his adopted little brother being dragged away by a warg. He could not tear his eyes away from the pools of blood that littered the ground, hoping that they would somehow disappear and his little brother would be here, safe with them.

"We should at least find his body, and give him a decent burial." Legolas said dully. He did not want to accept the fact that his best friend could be dead, but right now, there was not much else to believe but the evidence.

"Why do you two speak as if Estel were dead?" Elrohir demanded, a fire in his piercing gaze. "How do you know he does not yet live?" His eyes swept from his older twin, to his friend, and back. "You cannot give up hope yet! Estel is hope in itself, which is why Ada named him that! Do you really believe, as stubborn as he is, that he would give up and let that beast drag him away and kill him?!"

Elrohir's sudden outburst surprised Legolas and Elladan, and at the same time sent shame creeping into their conscience. They knew that their brother and friend would not give up and let himself be killed that easily. All three of them knew it. The human was too stubborn to be killed by an animal.  
"You are right, Elrohir." Legolas said. "I should not have despaired."

"And I, also." Elladan agreed, hanging his head. "At least one of us has some sense left."

"Good." Elrohir said, putting one hand on Legolas' shoulder and the other on his brother's. "Now, are we ready to find Estel and Faramir?"

A pair of gray eyes flickered open, taking in their surroundings before commanding their body to move. Aragorn took in the place he had been taken to, noting that the giant warg that had almost eaten him alive was resting by the entrance to the cave, dozing peacefully. He looked up at Faramir and saw that the man was either sleeping or unconscious. He sat up and leaned against the rock behind him, gazing at the man across from him sleeping beside the smoldering fire. This must be the man who has captured Faramir. He looked around. And me. He looked at Bingo, then back at his captor. We have to go. Now is our chance. He twisted around and shook Faramir to wake him, but the steward did not awake.  
"Faramir." He hissed. "Wake up. We have to go."

He did not stir. Groaning inwardly, Aragorn knew what he had to do. He got to his feet and was assualted by a wave of dizziness. He leaned heavily against the wall behind him and waited for his world to stop spinning. When it finally did, he ignored the fiery pain shooting up his chest and lifted his unconscious friend. Walking steadily, but not being able to avoid the occasional stumble, Aragorn made his way to freedom. He prayed that the warg would not awake and shred them both to pieces before they could take a step out. As he crept out into the cool, night air, Aragorn realized that he must have been knocked out longer than he thought.

He watched where each foot landed, making sure not to step on anything that would make the slightest noise. He went along as silently as he could. A cricket's sudden song startled Aragorn out of his dream-like state, making him jerk his head up to catch the quiet sound. He almost laughed aloud at himself for being frightened by an insect, and a smile spread across his face. _Maybe we can make it out of this alive, after all._ He thought hopefully. But the absence of his attention let his foot fall on a slick stone, sending him crashing to the forest floor. Thankfully, the grass was free of dead leaves, so when the steward fell from Aragorn's arms, he hit the soft, springy grass. The Ranger gasped as he watched the man fall from his arms. Before he could catch him, though, he had fallen himself. He lay there on the ground for a moment, not making a noise, hoping that he didn't wake the man and beast. He lifted his head up and saw that he had not made it far from the cave, maybe only a few steps out of its darkness. His eyes quickly scanned the area and his heart leapt into his throat when he did not find the warg. He turned his head to the right and was met with a brown curtain. _What is this?_ He thought. Confused thoughts collected in puddles inside his brain as he tried to sort out what this thing was. When he could not figure it out, he warily reached out his hand to touch it, and was met with a coarse, fur-like feeling. _Oh Valar!_ He jumped and yanked his hand back, knowing what the thing was. He scrambled backwards away from the warg in terror. He did not try to stay quiet as he tried to distance himself from the animal, knowing that his touch had probably awakened the beast. He stared in fear at the massive animal's head, and, to his dismay, two beady yellow eyes flicked open.

**Mwuahaha! Aragorn is back in danger. Poor Aragorn, I'm teasing him—pulling him in and out of danger again and again. Oh well, he'll just have to deal with it. Anyway, I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter! Thank you to all my reviewers! And special thanks to The Archer's Bow for reading and reviewing this story! I totally did not mean to miss you in the replies! Song of the Day, Question of the Day, and review responses are below.**

_**REVIEW REPLIES**_

_**Bloody Lord: I totally agree with you! Legolas is so irritating, mean, and jerky in the movie! The whole time I was watching it, I just wanted to punch him in the face. I think PJ totally ruined him. NightmareCryPieNix and I call him Jerklas, 'cause he's so mean. I have not read The Hobbit, either, but my sister has, and she says that the whole "Pale Orc" and "Thorin's company being chased by orcs" never happened. There was actually not even any orcs in the book at all. Anyway, sorry about the tangent, there. Thanks for reading and reviewing!**_

_**LuthienThranduillion: Awww, you and Faramir make such a cute couple! I agree with you, Luthien. PJ shouldn't have changed The Hobbit book. Though I still do like the movie and am anxiously awaiting the third, which is coming out in December! I would probably hate it, it's just that I really want to see another Lord of the Rings related movie and I cannot hate anything LOTR related. Actually, I would probably like it even if I didn't like LOTR. Which is a completely insane idea because I will ALWAYS love Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. **_  
_**And I agree with you, Faramir. You were way better in the books than in the movie. I mean, you said you wouldn't even take the Ring if it were laying on the side of the road, and then, in the movie, PJ made you be all like "Oh, I want the Ring! Gimme gimme gimme!" And I hate that! Don't get me wrong, Faramir, you're an awesome guy. Wait a minute, what am I doing? I'm speaking to a fictional character! I think I've finally lost it. Or maybe I'm just so giddy with relief that, after two weeks, my family's finally bought a car after our other one broke down.**_  
_**Okay, sorry. I'm going off on another tangent. Anyway, no offense to Faramir. He's an awesome guy and Peter Jackson picked out a good actor for him, it's just that he ruined his character. You and Faramir are awesome, I hope you didn't get offended at my tangent!**_

_**Faramir Freak: Sorry, one person begging isn't really enough. So, if you want Bingo to live, you'd better recruit some people to help you. But I might let him live, just for you.**_

**Question of the Day:**

**Do you think Aragorn liked his nickname of "Strider"? Why or why not?**

**Song of the Day:**  
**Shadows**  
**Artist: Red**

_**Yeah, I know, another song by Red. But they're so awesome! Everyone should totally check out their album Until We Have Faces. That one is especially good. And, here's a bonus. Buried Beneath. Red.**_

_**Over 3,000 views!? You guys totally make my day...like…every day. Thank you to all my readers and reviewers! Well, I really should be getting home to Aragorn now. So, until next time!**_

_**Mrs. King Aragorn**_


	12. The End of All Things

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Lord of the Rings—all rights to J.R.R. Tolkien!**

Aragorn's heart beat wildly as he stared at the awoken warg. He could hear its low growling as the beast raised itself onto its feet. The moonlight glanced off its sharp fangs, and the Ranger could see the bloodlust in its eyes. He cast a nervous glance at Faramir, who was lying on the ground a few feet away from him. He was almost invisible, surrounded by the soft ferns and shielded by the darkness. He looked back at Bingo, unable to tear his eyes away from the approaching animal. Suddenly, it stopped and stared at him, which only increased the amount of fear he was feeling right then. The warg opened its massive jaws silently, anticipating the kill. Then, without warning, a ferocious roar escaped the animal, shaking the trees around him and making the ground rock slightly. The Ranger's hand flew to his ears, trying to block out the deafening sound. When it finally stopped, Aragorn was still trying to quiet the ringing in his ears, ignoring the yellow, glaring eyes. He squeezed his eyes shut, despite his conscience telling him not to, and tried desperately to ignore the burning pain in his chest and the violent sound echoing in his ears.  
Before he knew what was happening, a heavy weight hit his shoulders and he fell backwards onto the ground below. A white-hot pain flared up in his chest and spread to his arms. An unsuspecting scream filled the air as the Ranger went down, quickly knocking the remaining air in his lungs out. When he figured out that the piercing scream belonged to him, he cursed himself, knowing that it would have alerted Callisto to their escaping presence, if the warg had not already.  
Aragorn stared up into the angry eyes of the warg, trying his best to pull in each breath. It felt like his bones were being crushed under the weight of the enormous beast. His mind fought for an idea of how to escape this again, but he could think of nothing. Bingo growled lowly and seemed to unhinge his jaw to fit his prey in. Aragorn struggled under the weight and tried to free himself, but could not. Just as Bingo was lunging down on his prey to make the final kill, an idea finally struck him. Lightning fast, he used his free arm and yanked free his elvish dagger from its sheath behind his back. Thanking Legolas for returning his weapon to him when he had found them in the woods, he jabbed the blade into the warg's leg. Squealing, it raised a paw to smack the weapon from the Ranger's hand, but Aragorn was faster and sunk the dagger into the exposed pad of the animal's foot. This time Bingo jumped completely off of him, screaming the whole way. The Ranger shot to his feet as soon as the animal was off of him, not believing his luck.  
That foolish man should have taken my dagger from me. He thought. Now he will lose both of his prisoners for it.  
Suddenly, his captor was standing before him, a sword in his hand. The man wore an enraged expression, probably for his own lack of attention and Aragorn's hurting his pet. The Ranger cast a glance at Bingo, who was whimpering and making his way over to his master. Callisto pulled a rope from his belt and grabbed Aragorn's arm. Even though he fought against his grip, the man quickly overpowered the injured Ranger. He shoved him against a tree and pulled the rope around him, securing him to the rough bark. The ropes bit roughly into his flesh as Callisto pulled them tight, making sure there was no wiggle room. Aragorn kept his eyes away from Faramir's still unconscious form, hoping against hope that maybe his captor would not see him.  
Once he was finished, the man turned away from his prisoner and studied Bingo. "I hope you did not damage this poor animal." He did not turn his gaze from his pet. "Actually, it looks like you have." He said, noticing the animal favoring its injured paw. "What's this?" He clucked to Bingo, and the warg obediently showed his master the dagger viciously stuck in his tender flesh. At the sight of the injury, Callisto gasped and patted his pet gently on the head. "You poor thing!"  
He turned angry eyes on Aragorn. "How could you do this? Bingo wasn't doing you any harm."  
The Ranger held back his rude comment about the warg trying to eat him, even though he knew it would make him feel better Do not do anything to anger this man. He told himself. It will not help Faramir.  
"Easy, boy." He said, holding the beast's head. "I'm gonna pull this knife out, okay?"  
Bingo whimpered in reply and held up his injured paw. With a swift tug, Aragorn's dagger was freed of the animal's foot and thrown to the ground like trash. He wanted to tell Callisto to set it down nicely; after all, the beautiful weapon had been given to him by the Lady Galadriel herself.  
"What's this?" The man asked, looking at the warg's leg. "He stabbed you, too?" He turned to the Ranger. "You should be ashamed of yourself. Hurting this harmless beast."  
Aragorn thought it ironic that the man cared more for his pet than finding his still missing prisoner. As if Callisto could read minds, his eyes narrowed and he stared at his prisoner. "Where is the other?"  
The Ranger stared defiantly at the man, unwilling to unveil where his steward was hiding.  
"Where is he!?" Callisto screamed. His hand darted out and caught Aragorn's throat, squeezing it until the Ranger could no longer pull in a breath. "Where did he go?" He stopped, and an evil grin spread across his face. "Oh, did he leave you? He doesn't care, does he? Hah, so much for friends." Aragorn wanted to smack the man for even thinking that his friend would abandon him. A fiery pain was creeping up his throat as the man did not relinquish his chokehold. He fought for consciousness, knowing that collapsing half-dead to the ground would not help his steward. Just…stay…awake. He thought as black spots swam before his eyes. He stopped fighting the fingers that suspended his life above the pit of death as his brain slowly started to slow and his thoughts became foggy. Callisto suddenly seemed to become aware that he was killing his prisoner and released his hold on the Ranger's throat.  
"Fine. Whatever." He said, walking back over to his pet, who was lying on the ground a short ways away.  
Silence ensued. The crickets chirped, and a few birds were fluttering about in the trees restlessly. Aragorn gazed up at the full moon and the gentle twinkling of the stars. What have I gotten myself into this time? The darkness of the sky seemed to comfort him as he wished he were home in Imladris in his comfortable bed. What would Elladan and Elrohir say to me now?  
Something moved. The grass where Faramir lays swayed in the breeze slightly. There is no breeze. Aragorn thought, panicking. Oh no! Faramir is waking! Now that man will capture him and he will have no chance of getting away! An idea hit him. He started to wiggle in his bonds, despite the white-hot pain it sent crawling up the deep wounds on his back and chest.  
"Hey, let me go!" He screamed to Callisto.  
His captor seemed taken aback by his sudden outburst. "What?" He said, raising an eyebrow.  
"I said, let me go!"  
Faramir groaned and started to move. Aragorn started to get more nervous as he saw the steward's weak form starting to sit up.  
"Hey, you stupid animal!" Bingo perked his ears up. "Come and get me, you baby!" The Ranger could not believe the words were coming out of his mouth, but he had to do something to keep the man's attention away from Faramir. "You can't take a little scratch from a knife that's not even one third the size of you?" The warg was itching to kill the man, looking at Callisto for permission. But his master did not consent.  
"What? Are you trying to get yourself killed?" Aragorn stared at the man. "Oh, you're afraid." He taunted.  
The Ranger ignored his spiteful words and continued to scream at Bingo. "Come and eat me! You know you want to!"  
Bingo sprang forward, but suddenly Callisto stepped in front of Aragorn and the warg halted mid-leap and fell back to the ground. "No! You will not harm him!" His master shouted him. The animal hung his head and crept backwards, ashamed.  
Just when the Ranger thought his plan had failed, Callisto drew his sword, holding the shimmering metal to his prisoner's throat. "Do not antagonize him, ranger. Or it will be the death of you." The Ranger could feel a thin line of blood trickle down his neck. He remained silent.  
Faramir moaned and moved again, still not completely aware of his surroundings. The Ranger tried to make noise so he could not hear it, but Callisto caught the small noises of the steward. His eyes lit up.  
"So, this is where he is." He walked over to the limp form of Aragorn's friend and kicked it. The Ranger cringed when he heard the small whimper that came from his steward. "I should kill him right now; put him out of his misery."  
Aragorn's heart started to beat faster.  
"There is nothing anyone can do for him, now. He is simply too far gone." Callisto aimed his blade at Faramir's throat and prepared to end the man's life.  
"No!" Aragorn screamed, struggling against his bonds, trying to get to Faramir. "No, let me go! You can't kill him!"  
"I can, and I will." Callisto said, grinning menacingly. Just as he leveled a clean cut at Faramir's neck, a flash of silver interrupted the deathly blow. Elladan blocked Faramir's body with his own, holding the man's attack off with his sword.  
"Elladan!" Aragorn cried in relief. The elf launched a vicious attack at Callisto, who was still surprised by the sudden interference. As they battled fiercely, two others came into view. Legolas and Elrohir. Legolas' eyes met his, and he could see that his best friend was relieved to find his human friend alive.  
"Watch out!" He screamed to them.  
Bingo pounced.  
But Elrohir was too quick. He ducked right under the animal, and, as it flew over him, thrust his sword upward into the animal's stomach. The warg screamed and fell to the ground. Legolas bent his bow and let an arrow fly towards the beast. It stuck in Bingo's head, making the animal even angrier. He regained his feet and threw himself at the two elves. As Legolas aimed again at the warg, Elrohir tried to find the animal's weak spot, but to no avail.  
Just as Bingo threw his head up in a chilling roar, Legolas loosed his arrow. It stuck in the animal's neck. Bingo crashed to the ground, unmoving. The two elves' attention turned immediately to Faramir and Aragorn. As Elrohir rushed over to his little brother to free him, Aragorn shook his head violently.  
"No, Elladan! You must help him!" Elrohir snapped the ropes that bound Aragorn to the tree with his sword before turning to his older brother. Callisto and Elladan battled fiercely, neither winning nor losing. The Ranger caught sight of Legolas with another arrow notched. Elrohir ran over to his twin, determined to help him defeat the man that had caused so much pain and misery. But, before he could reach the two, a yellow-feathered arrow struck Callisto in the chest. The man immediately went to his knees, dropping his sword to the ground. He gasped for breath as Elladan angled his sword at the man's neck.  
The dead warg was only a few feet away from Callisto, but the man had not yet caught sight of his dead friend. Aragorn had been beside Faramir, helping the dazed steward to his feet. Now he watched the scene play out before him, wild thoughts running through his head. Callisto glanced in the direction of his pet and saw the warg lying motionless on the ground.  
"Bingo?" He murmured weakly, his hand leaving the arrow in his chest. Ignoring the blade at his throat, he scooted over to his friend. He laid a shaky hand on the animal's giant head. "Buddy?" A disbelieving expression crossed his face. "No." He whispered. The man turned his distraught face towards Elladan, who still stood over him, but with his sword lowered.  
"You killed him." He said, tears in his eyes. Aragorn felt a sudden pang of sympathy towards the man. "You killed him." He said again, burying his face in the animal's thick, coarse fur. Sobs racked his body as he wept over his fallen friend.  
After several minutes, Callisto looked up again, his eyes trained on Bingo's unblinking eyes. "Goodbye, Bingo." He smoothed the animal's fur down with his hand. "I love you, buddy." His voice cracked on his last words to his pet.  
With his back leaning against the warg's body, sad eyes met Elladan's. They held no fear, only grief, and the lost will to live.  
"Please, just kill me." He looked at Bingo. "Like you did him."  
The Ranger could see Elladan's heart starting to soften towards the man. He held his blade at Callisto's throat, ready to end his life. The man closed his eyes, willing to die with his friend. But Elladan pulled his sword back, shaking his head.  
"I cannot do it." He said, taking a step back.  
Callisto's eyes opened, a sudden urgency in them. "No, you must. Please, it would be a mercy. Just…kill me." His words were pleading and full of remorse.  
Elladan shook his head again. Aragorn saw Elrohir cast him a quick glance and move to his brother's side.  
"You have to, please." Callisto begged, tears freely streaming down his cheeks.  
"I cannot take a life that is not mine to take." Elladan said quietly. As the elf started to sheathe his sword, a new urgency and fire sprang in Callisto's eyes. The man's right leg darted out and caught Elladan's, sending him crashing to the ground.  
"Elladan!" Elrohir screamed, trying to retaliate and get his sword from its sheath.  
Everything happened so fast, it was hard for the Ranger to tell what was going on. One minute Elladan's sword is in his hand, the next clattering to the ground, and then it is in Callisto's hands.  
As the older twin got to his feet, he turned his gaze to Callisto to see the man lying there, his steely blue eyes distant and unmoving. A large red spot on the man's chest started to form, and Elladan's bloody sword lay there, still in the man's grasp.

**Well, I hope you all liked it. This was longer than most chapters. And don't be embarrassed or ashamed if you cried at the end of this chappie, 'cause I did and I was writing it. My main goal for Callisto as a character was for readers to realize that he was a good man at heart, but spoiled by something evil. The only good thing he had left was Bingo, and when he died, so did Callisto. I wanted to form a unique animal/man relationship, one that, if one of the two died, the other would give up his life in his grief.**

_**REVIEW REPLIES**_

_**LuthienThranduillion: You're welcome for not hurting Aragorn anymore; and OF COURSE I WILL NOT KILL HIM! I would never kill My Precious. And I agree with you. I think Aragorn liked being a normal person rather than being king. But, in the books, he seems like he's ready to be king, unlike in the movies where it makes him look like he doesn't want to be king. Anyway, I hope you two had fun on your date! And thank you so much for reading and reviewing!**_

_**Bloody Lord: Well put! Nobody really knows if Aragorn liked his nickname or not. I guess it was kind of a trick question…Heeheehee! In The Fellowship of the Ring (book), it seems like he doesn't really care for it, but you never know. And thank you so much for all the encouragement! You are awesome! Thank you for reading and reviewing! I totally appreciate that!**_

_**Firedragon99: That is a very good idea! That would make a really great fanfic! And it would be so cute…Aragorn having a pet…Thanks for reading and reviewing!**_

_**tommyginger: Wow! That was really great! I don't think any of my reviewers have actually answered the question and then explained their answer so thoroughly! Thank you so much! And I agree, I think he did use the name to pay homage to all the rangers. In FOTR (book), it seemed like he didn't really care for it that much, but maybe he got more attached to it later. But, then again, maybe it was just me. Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!**_

** Thank you everyone for reviewing, and if I missed someone that is so accidental and not intentional! Wait, that was kinda redundant. Accidental and unintentional are the same thing. Oh well, thank you everyone! *hugs reviewers***

**QUESTION OF THE DAY**

** Who is your favorite character in The Lord of the Rings trilogy or The Hobbit and why?**

**SONG OF THE DAY**

**Good Day**  
**Artist: Britt Nicole**

_**And if ANYONE is listening to these songs and likes/not likes them, please PM me! I really want to know your opinion on them!**_

_**Na lu e-govaned vin!**_

_**THE MRS**_


	13. This Is Where the Healing Begins

**DISCLAIMER: Again, I do not own The Lord of the Rings. All rights to J.R.R. Tolkien!**

** Okay, ever since tommyginger (thank you!) pointed this out, it has been driving me up the wall. So, ta da! Here is the revised chapter 13! I hope this corrects my mistake!**

Aragorn was stunned. That was the last thing he had expected. The whole thing had played out before his very eyes, Callisto tripping Elladan, catching the elven sword, and impaling himself with it. He stared at the man's body, which was still lying on top of Bingo's carcass.

The five of them did not move, all of them transfixed upon the two and the convicting friendship they had displayed.

Legolas had joined Aragorn and was at his side, the elf steadying the weary Ranger. Faramir leaned up against a tree a short ways away from them, trying to catch his breath and remember what had happened. Elrohir and Elladan rejoined the group, strange expressions on their faces.

"I do not understand it." Elladan said quietly in his native tongue. "He was a criminal. A coward. And he killed himself." He looked up at Legolas and Aragorn. "Why did he do that?"

Elrohir answered first. "Elladan," His voice was soft and comforting. "He had nothing left to live for."

The older twin looked up and caught sight of his youngest brother leaning heavily on Legolas, dried blood caking his chest, then he saw Faramir wearily propped up against a tree. It seemed to snap him out of his reverie, because he went over to the steward and helped him stand.

"We should go now. You two will need to see a healer." He said, speaking in the common tongue again.

With that, the five of them proceeded to steadily make their way back to where the three elves had left the horses.

As they walked, Aragorn started to think about his short captivity. I wonder what he wanted us for. He would have cascaded to the ground when his foot slipped on a small stone, were it not for Legolas, who was supporting almost all of his weight. The elf quickly steadied his human friend and smiled at him.  
"You should pay more attention." The elf beamed, trying to lighten the mood.

"Sorry." Aragorn did not return the jest, but looked solemnly back towards the ground and concentrated on where his next step would be.

"Aragorn." Legolas pulled his friend to a stop and looked in the man's sea gray eyes. "What is wrong?"

The Ranger did not feel like telling his best friend his feelings just yet. He tore his eyes away from the elf's piercing gaze and looked at the ground. "It is nothing. I am simply worried for Faramir."

The two continued walking, but he knew Legolas did not accept that as an answer. Every once in a while he would cast his friend a glance, hoping the human would reveal what was troubling him.

When they finally made it to the horses, all three of the animals looked up and nickered happily. Legolas helped Aragorn onto his creamy white stallion and got on behind him.

I cannot have Aragorn falling off. He thought. Elrohir took Faramir on his horse and the three of them moved away from the site of the rescue.

-

They reached Rivendell before long, and as the rode in through the front gates, Elrond was there to greet them.

"What happened? I thought you two were supposed to be in Minas Tirith?" He asked, but then he caught sight of his bloodied foster son and his friend nearly unconscious in the saddle. He rushed out to them and helped take both the men inside the house.

As Elrond left to Faramir's room to tend to the dying steward, Elladan and Elrohir helped Aragorn onto his own bed. Legolas was close behind, stopping in Elrond's study to grab some bandages and healing herbs.

When Legolas returned and the two twins began to clean their little brother's wounds, Legolas spoke. No one had said anything until the blond elf spoke up.

"You are worried." He turned to his human friend.

Elladan wrapped clean, white bandages around the man's waist.

"For Faramir's life, yes." He replied. The twins finished and pulled the blanket up to Aragorn's shoulders.  
It was silent for a moment.

"Let me go to him, please. It is my fault he is in his condition anyway." He started to rise from the bed.

"No." Elrohir pushed him back down gently. "You need to rest." He looked at his older brother. "We will tell you if he worsens."

Aragorn raised an eyebrow at them.

"Right." Elrohir said, nudging his brother. The two left the room to aid their father.

"And you'd better not try to get up!" Elladan shouted through the closed door. "Elrohir! I wasn't done talking!"

"Well, you should have finished before I closed the door." He retorted as their voices grew fainter.

The Ranger smiled and looked over at Legolas. The elf was staring at him intently.

"What?"

"I know what you're thinking."

Aragorn watched the elf expectantly.

"As soon as I leave, you are going to get up and go see Faramir."

The man opened his mouth, ready to protest, but it was too late. Legolas sank down on a chair beside the bed and picked up a book.

"So, I will not leave." He smiled.

"Elves." Aragorn said in mock annoyance.

Aragorn was sleeping peacefully when suddenly he was jolted awake by a soft noise, his ranger instincts kicking in. He sat upright and scanned the room; everything appeared normal. He turned his gaze towards the balcony and saw a slender form standing there, staring at the moon. It took a few minutes for him to recognize who it was, and when he did, he swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood. He walked silently to where his friend was standing, though he knew the elf had already sensed him awakening. He joined his friend on the balcony and stood in silence, waiting for Legolas to speak first.

"You should be resting."

Aragorn ignored the motherly comment and dived right in. "What is wrong, Legolas? You seem…" He stared at the elf for a moment. "Nervous."  
Shimmering blue eyes turned on the Ranger, and Aragorn felt his heart jump in his throat. "Legolas?"  
"Someone threatened Faramir." He said quietly.  
"He is safe now, Legolas. They cannot get to him here." The Ranger whispered, knowing the elf had not divulged his whole secret.  
"They threatened to kill someone else, as well."  
Aragorn looked at the elf expectantly. "Well…who?"  
"You."

** Okay, please no death threats of your own. And, this is the last chapter. Hold on, hold on! Lower your knives…I will continue this in the SEQUEL…called…uh….okay, so I haven't figured that out yet. Please give me your input on what the sequel should be called. And don't worry, the first chapter will be out very soon. And, no, Faramir doesn't die. You're welcome.**  
**This story was getting a bit monstrous for me to handle. And this was the thirteenth chapter, so…you know. And I was starting a new plot, so I thought it a good idea to just continue this in the next volume. Well, I hope you all liked it! And thank you all for being so patient for the next chapter; you guys are so awesome! I mean, like…I can't wait…for anything. :)**

_**REVIEW REPLIES**_

_**Faramir Freak: Well, I'm glad you like Faramir…actually I kind of already guessed 'cause of your name…and you kinda told me…a lot. I'm also glad you liked the songs! Thanks for the support!**_

_**Luthien T: Yeah, I kinda figured your favorite character would be him. Though I would have to disagree about him being drop-dead-gorgeous…I mean, have you SEEN Aragorn?! Okay, before I go off on that…I'm glad you felt bad for Callisto…wait, that didn't really come out right…okay, what I mean is, like, that was my goal for him. For the readers to really have compassion on him and be sad when he committed suicide. And YES I'M SO GLAD YOU LIKED THOSE SONGS! Those are all favorites of mine. Of course, I won't have enough chapters to put ALL of my favorites on there, but those were just a few. The song for today is super awesome. Probably because Switchfoot is super awesome. Do you listen to the radio station Air1? No, I'm not advertising or being paid for this in any way…but I'm just sayin'. It's a really cool station. Anyway, thanks for reading and reviewing!**_

_**Bloody Lord: Yeah! You go! Aragorn is so awesome, isn't he? I just LOVE how he's so gentle and caring and….and…GOOD LOOKING! Okay, I'll shut up 'cause you probably don't want to sit there and listen to me go off on a tangent about how much I LOVE ARAGORN! My favorite characters from The Hobbit are probably Fili and Kili. Reasons? A. When they walk in Bilbo's house (especially Fili), they just…like…swag walk in like they're all about it. Heeheehee. Makes me laugh every time. B. They're both good looking. C. It's cute how they're like…brothers. And in the second movie when Fili stays behind for Kili. AWWWW! That's so sweet! Thanks for reading and reviewing!**_

**SONG OF THE DAY**

**Mess Of Me**  
**Artist: Switchfoot**

**And, no, peeps. I'm not being paid to suggest good songs to you guys. I am not advertising anything in any way. I am simply sharing very inspiring beautiful songs that I feel other people would enjoy listening to as well.**

**QUESTION OF THE DAY**

**Mwuahahaha….this is where you wished you would have listened to the songs I've been suggesting to you. Which one was your favorite and why? Sorry, I ran out of Lord of the Rings questions. I know…already.**

**Novaer!**  
**[Farewell]**

**Mrs. King Aragorn**


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